Even if the team never won another game, however, Green Bay’s longtime receiver, Greg Jennings, still can make a bold determination — Aaron Rodgers is better than Brett Favre.

Comparing the two quarterbacks on ESPN New York 1050 Sunday, Jennings stated that he’d “definitely” take Rodgers over Favre, mostly due to the All-Pro’s “un-paralleled” work ethic and preparation to the game.

“They both bring different things to the table, but honestly right now I definitely have to go with … Aaron, his body of work at such a young age, his attention to detail, his discipline, I think it’s really second to none — its un-paralleled,” Jennings told ESPN New York 1050 on Sunday when asked which player he thought was the better quarterback.

Jennings continued to gush about the league’s MVP front-runner, saying what Rodgers is doing this season is pretty unprecedented.

“You haven’t really found a QB that has done it the way (Rodgers) has done it,” Jennings told ESPN 1050. “I mean you have the young guys that are coming out and they’re making a huge impact in this game … but his attention to detail and his discipline to be perfect or so close to perfect I think that’s really going to separate himself … his study habits are … they speak volume for themselves.”

If there’s anyone who knows what’s what, it’s Jennings, having played extensively with both gunslingers in his six-year career.

Though, it’s not a surprise who he favors. With Rodgers, Jennings hauled in 193 more receptions, recorded 3,067 more yards, and scored 19 more touchdowns than he did with Favre tossing him the ball.

In a general sense, you could say he has more use for the Discount Double Check than he does a pair of Wrangler jeans.

This year, with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a chance to repeat, the word being tossed around — at least in Sin City — is “expected.”

Per the Associated Press, oddsmakers at Las Vegas casinos have tabbed Green Bay as the best bet to win Super Bowl XLVI in February.

At Cantor Gaming, the Pack are currently 9-5 favorites to take home their second-consecutive Lombardi Trophy, despite questions surrounding their defense.

“Offense seems to rule the day right now in the NFL, but I’m not sure that defense will be able to hold up long enough to win it all,” Cantor Race & Sports Director Mike Colbert said.

As a basis for comparison — and because they’re the talk of the country — Tim Tebow and the Broncos are 120-1 underdogs to win the title, and are even a longshot to advance past the Steelers in the Wild Card round.

Other notable odds include: 49ers (12-1), Giants (20-1), and Patriots, who’ve been given an 18% shot of winning it all, according to sports gambling expert RJ Bell. For the record, Bell has the Packers at 32%.

“That, to me is the story: Not how prohibitive of a favorite they are, but the fact that they’re being given less than a one in three chance,” Bell said. “The Patriots and Saints combined have a better chance than the Packers.”

After reading this, be sure to call your bookies and hedge those bets. It looks like BoDog’s early prognostication was right on the money — literally.

It’s a moniker that carries more weight than most, considering the popularity of the sport among the country.

Now, technically, it would be incorrect to refer to Dallas as such — another team has claimed the title.

In a survey conducted by Public Policy Polling, 22% of the 700 voters said the Packers are their favorite team in the NFL. The Cowboys followed behind, receiving 11% of the vote.

Other popular choices included the Bears, Giants, and Steelers, each totaling 8%.

In fact, Big D’s fall from grace was particularly steep, as 22% of the voters named the Cowboys as their least favorite NFL team.

As for the Pack, it was a good day to be a member of the organization. Earlier, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was chosen as the AP Male Athlete of the Year.

I think not.

On Wednesday, Rodgers was named the Associated Press 2011 Male Athlete of the Year.

The Packers quarterback received 112 votes out of 212 ballots, beating out Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, who finished second with 50 tallies.

The other nominees spanned the entire sports spectrum — tennis sensation Novak Djokovic, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, and NASCAR driver Tony Stewart.

Rodgers is arguably the clear-cut candidate for MVP of the 2011 season, as he’s passed for over 4,300 yards and 40 touchdowns with two games to go. If he can lead the Pack to another Lombardi Trophy, we may see his name atop the AP ballot next year, too.

During the third quarter of Thursday night’s regular season opener, Packers rookie receiver Randall Cobb took a kickoff eight-yards deep in his own endzone and scampered 108-yards for a touchdown, tying an NFL all-time record.

Aside from actually running 324 feet to paydirt, Cobb broke several tackles on his way to the endzone, including one that had him completely dead to rights. He then turned on the jets and the rest is now history — literally. Check it out below.

Cobb, the team’s second-round pick out of Kentucky, joins Ellis Hobbs and Antonio Cromartie as the only players to record a score from the entire length of the field.

Add in a 32-yard touchdown on his first career reception, and I’d say he left a pretty decent impression on the coaching staff and Lambeau faithful.

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Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Packers have re-signed Jones to a three-year contract.

While the financial terms of the new deal have not yet been announced, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and fellow wideout Donald Driver got their wish.

A source told Silverstein that both Rodgers and Driver “went to bat” for Jones and urged GM Ted Thompson and the rest of the Packers’ brass to retain the 27-year-old.

Upon learning of the news, Jones told ESPN Milwaukee’s Jason Wilde that their support is an extension of the team’s selfless character.

“Having your teammates push for you and want you back, not a lot of guys would do that, two high-profile guys like them two dudes,” Jones said. “And for Greg and Donald [to] want me back on that team, that shows how unselfish we are.”

With most of the upper-tier receivers off the market, Jones was viewed as a top available option and wanted to be paid accordingly. He’s developed a bad reputation for drops — evident by his two in Super Bowl XLV — but Jones has excellent separation ability and can get behind defenses to really stretch the field.

Now that he’s staying put, Jones returns as the Pack’s third option behind Greg Jennings and Driver. It seems as if he or the team wouldn’t have it any other way.

According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Jolly pleaded guilty to a 2008 felony drug possession charge today. As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, he will be placed on deferred adjudication — similar to probation — and will undergo 90 mandatory days of drug treatment at a Houston facility.

Jolly, once considered a major part of the Houston-area drug trade, was arrested in 2008 for possession of over 200 grams of codeine, a controlled substance.

Fast forward to this year, and Jolly was once again in hot water for the same reasons. Last month, officers arrested Jolly and charged him with felony possession after uncovering 600 grams of codeine during a routine traffic stop.

For the two charges, Jolly was facing up to 20 years in prison. Though, with the deal he made today, he’ll avoid any time behind bars and had his second charge dismissed by a judge.

Although he escaped the most severe penalties, Jolly might not be as lucky with commissioner Roger Goodell, who’s known for taking a hard stance against repeated drug offenders. Jolly was suspended indefinitely before the start of the 2010 season, and there’s no guarantee Goodell will lift that ban now.

According to CBS Houston, Jolly was arrested early Friday morning for possession of codeine – his second major arrest for drugs in the last three years.

After Jolly was pulled over for a routine traffic violation, he handed the police a state identification card — and not a valid driver’s license — as his license is currently suspended. That’s when the red flags went up for the officers, who then discovered 600 grams of codeine under the passenger’s seat and another substance of unknown origin in the driver’s door panel.

Per an ESPN report, Houston police charged Jolly with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

This could mean jail time for Jolly, a former starter for Green Bay who was arrested in 2008 for possessing over 200 grams of codeine. Last July, the NFL suspended him indefinitely without pay for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

After being booked in ’08, Jolly was facing up to 20 years in prison, but a court let him off with a form of probation instead. One of the conditions for him to avoid jail time was to stay out of trouble; it’s unclear how this latest incident affects his legal standing.

One thing is certain, though. Commissioner Roger Goodell’s takes a very hard stance against repeat offenders, especially substance abusers, so even if he isn’t sent to the slammer, there’s virtually no chance that he’ll reinstated in the foreseeable future.

According to the Packers’ official website, the team has signed coach Mike McCarthy to a three-year contract extension. His new deal, which is expected to pay him $5 million annually, will run through 2015.

“I want to thank the Green Bay Packers, especially Mark Murphy and Ted Thompson, for the continued commitment and confidence they have shown in our program,” McCarthy said.

“We were very excited to bring the Lombardi Trophy back home this past season, and we look forward to the challenge of continuing to improve as a football team and adding to the championship legacy here. My family and I love being in Green Bay. It’s always going to be my home, and we are very happy to continue to be a part of this community.”

The 47-year-old McCarthy was hired by Green Bay in 2006 after, most notably, five seasons as an offensive coordinator — four with the Saints and one with the Niners. With the Packers, McCarthy has led the team to three playoff appearances, including a trip to the NFC Championship game in 2007 and, of course, last season’s Super Bowl run. While also calling the offensive plays, McCarthy has overseen one of the most explosive offenses over the last few years and has transformed Aaron Rodgers into an elite quarterback.

McCarthy’s overall coaching record stands at an impressive 53-34. His .714 winning percentage puts him in a tie for first among active coaches in that category. Now that he’ll be leading the Pack for the next several seasons, he’ll have a chance to better that record and, possibly, bring another Lombardi Trophy back to its original home.

Owen Daniels

Thankfully, the NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed to a 24-hour extension in the labor talks, temporarily preventing a lockout from officially occurring. While teams are not permitted to negotiate with free agents during that time span, they’re allowed to lock up their own players; and several teams took advantage of that fact.

While several players acquired new contracts today, there are three notable players to discuss. Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels, who was re-signed to a four-year, $22 million deal, Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk, who signed a new five-year deal, and New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas, who agreed to a four-year, $12 million pact.

Daniels, one of the Texans’ most dynamic weapons on offense, spent much of last season recovering from a torn ACL, which significantly affected his production. Before the injury, Daniels was a Pro Bowler in 2008 and was among the leaders in receptions for the team. He’s not a prototypical tight end; much like the Chargers’ Antonio Gates, he’s a wide receiver stuck in a tight end’s body. He is talented enough to play in-line on running plays, but could also kick out to the slot and stretch the field that way. Houston did well with the contract and it looks like a fair deal for both sides.

Hawk was released by Green Bay yesterday, though afterward reports quickly surfaced that the team was intent on bringing him back. The Packers did not want to pay his $10 million escalator, though his new multi-year contract is expected to net him around $30-35 million, including $10 million in guarantees. It’s a good chunk of change the organization is handing over, but Hawk has proven his worth to the Super Bowl champs. As previously mentioned, Hawk was their leading tackler in 2010 and was stout at the point of attack. The linebacking corps for Green Bay could be their strongest and deepest position.

For the second time this week, the Saints have extended one of their own, though Thomas’ new contract is a bit of a head scratcher. He spent a good part of the 2010 season dealing with injuries, and it seemed like he wasn’t the team’s first choice at running back. Thomas was thrust into action when Reggie Bush and Chris Ivory also went down with ailments. Last offseason, it looked as if an extension was forthcoming, but it never materialized. Thomas finished the year with only 269 yards and two touchdowns, but he should be in line for a big rebound if he can stay healthy.